The Shukoi Su-30 fighter jets that government bought from Russia at $740 million (Shs1.8 trillion) have arrived in the country, military sources confirmed last night.

UPDF Airforce yesterday used one of the fighter planes to conduct test flights over Entebbe, sparking panic among residents with the din of the roaring engines.

People residing in or around Entebbe town said the deafening noise took them unawares and disrupted peaceful living. Lugonjo, Katabi, Kitooro, and Kiwafu were the most affected areas. “I am a poultry farmer and earn my living by rearing layers. The jets being tested on Sunday and Monday caused a setback in the way the birds lay their eggs,” said Ms Rose Namagara, a resident. Airforce Spokesman, Capt. Tabaro Kiconco, however, said the test flights are “normal and people should not get scared whenever we fly our aircrafts”.

He said: “Areas in close proximity of military installations or airbases the world over are synonymous with such noise.”Defence officials declined to state when the jets were shipped into the country on grounds movement of military equipment and personnel is confidential information “since it has a security element.”

The acquisition, at Shs1.8 trillion, of the military jets on the backdrop of soaring inflation stirred public anger with critics questioning the cost, timing and necessity - especially that Uganda is not known to be on the edge of war with any country. Mr Emmanuel Mutebile, the central bank governor, threw the Ugandan shilling into its worst volatility in 17 years, when he told UK’s leading business newspaper, the Financial Times, that President Museveni ignored technical advice to raid the country’s meagre foreign exchange reserves to buy the jets.

The reserves that could last at least six months consequently diminished to a probable four months, he said. The statements triggered commotion in the local financial market, plunging the Ugandan shilling, which is now showing signs of recovery, to trade at 2, 700 to a US dollar.

The Russian-built Shukoi SU-30 jet fighter, which the UPDF is understood to have acquired, is a twin-engine, multi-purpose aircraft for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, according information gleaned from the Internet. It can undertake combat missions within 3, 000 kilometre range, affording the UPDF the legroom to strike at distant targets with precision and efficiency.

Speaking about the jet fighters in May, the Chief of Defence Forces said the investment would relieve the army for at least 25 years and the UPDF is “late in acquiring the aircrafts.” “There is nothing to celebrate [in the acquisition],” Gen. Aronda Nyakairima told journalists then at his Mbuya office. He said Uganda had no country on its mind while buying the sophisticated jets that some analyst predict could spark arms race in the region.

Owoyesigire (right), Museveni (centre) and Nyakairima (right) posing with the crew members of the new planes during the commissioning yesterday

By Cyprian Musoke and Kigongo Ssebalamu

THE President, Gen Yoweri Museveni, has said the fighter jets the country has procured were manufactured on order to last and fit Uganda’s military needs contrary to reports that they were second-hand.

The SU-30mk2 are termed as ‘fifth’ generation planes, which ranks them among the newest fighter planes.

The sources call them ‘Air superiority fighters’ because of their swiftness in air-to-air combat.

They are equipped with ‘beyond visual capabilities’ hence able to hit targets far beyond the visual range of the pilots.

The jets’have also got ‘Precision Fighter Capabilities’ which makes them capable of dropping or firing ‘guided munitions’.

According to various Internet sources, the plane has got a range of 3,000kms.

This plane is one of the most heavily armed war plane. It has a weapons payload of 45 air-to-air missiles, 32 air-to-ground missiles, 77 dropped bombs and 120 rockets.

Inspecting the first two of six Sukhoi-Knaapo fighter jets of the Su-30 MK2 type from Russia at the Entebbe military base, where he commissioned them, Museveni compared the purchase to going to a tailor and getting measured to sew what fits you. “In the 1950s when we used to buy clothes, one had to either buy whatever was available or get measured so that a cloth that fits them can be made. This time round, I decided not to buy whatever old technology I found there, but when I went to Russia in August last year, my specifications (needs) were taken and that is in these jets you see here,” he said

In 1987, he added, the Government made the decision to reduce the size of the army, with the purpose of remaining with few men, but with sophisticated technology that operates efficiently.

“This policy will continue although some people are opposing it, saying there are no more wars in Uganda and, therefore, see no reason of spending money to buy fighter jets while there are still other needs like building more schools and hospitals.

“Defence and security does not have to wait for a country to be attacked in order to be strengthened. It is actually during peacetime that is the most opportune moment to strengthen ones’ defence system,” he told air force officers at the airbase. He added that the M16 helicopters bought in 1987 helped the army fight the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels of Joseph Kony, the reason they fled to the DRC.

Since the gunships were new, they are still in use. The function was attended by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, Chief of the Air Force Maj.

Jim Owoyesigire, Russian Ambassador to Uganda Valerie Ivanovich Utkin and the crew of pilots who had just returned from training in Russia.

One jet was flown off to mark the launch, while the second one remained in the hanger.

The President thanked the company Rosoboronexport, a state-owned arms exporter, that manufactured the jets, noting that Russia is one of the countries that helped in the liberation of most African countries.

The UPDF on Sunday received additional jet fighters from Russia as it emerged that one of those in the batch shipped in three months ago has been grounded due to engine failure.

A highly-placed military source told this newspaper that the Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft was marooned after it sucked a bird into the engine shortly after takeoff from Entebbe military airbase.

The September 8 incident infuriated the army that has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to explain how the watchdog’s Bird Hazard & Wildlife Control unit informed the airport’s Control Tower to clear the flight.

Witnesses said fire began sparking from one of the jet fighter’s engines following which, the crew was promptly alerted as emergency staff on the ground scrambled to evacuate other planes parked on the apron.

A Ugandan pilot, who apparently was test-flying the jet under instructions by a Russian, reportedly switched the engine on-and-off until he landed safely.

The affected jet, according to a source we cannot name due sensitivity of the matter, remained grounded for three weeks until Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms company supplying the Su-30 fighter planes, fixed its engine under an obtaining three-year warrant.

UPDF Airforce Spokesman, Capt. Kiconco Tabaro, yesterday said the “environmental hazard” incident had not strained relations between the military and CAA officials as alleged.

Mr Bbale Luyinda, the head of the Bird Hazard unit, was being targeted by investigators, a source said. The incident, Capt. Tabaro said, was not a “major incident” at the airbase. “Nothing serious happened to our jets but they are not immune to environmental hazards such as bird ingestion. All the jets are in good shape and are flying well,” he added.

Government acquired the jets that can undertake combat missions within a 3,000 kilometre range, at $740 million (Shs1.8 trillion), and central bank governor, Mr Emmanuel Mutebile, later revealed to UK’s Financial Times newspaper that President Museveni forced him to raid foreign exchange reserves to pay for the military hardware.

CAA Spokesman Ignie Igunduura said he was not aware of the bird ingestion by the jet fighter but would not be surprised because Entebbe is a gazzetted bird sanctuary.

He said: “Bird hazard is a big challenge; we need to share the airspace with them but sometimes they interfere with our operations. We can control but not completely eliminate their ingestion by planes.”

ConfidentialityIn yesterday’s telephone interview, Capt. Tabaro declined to confirm arrival of the new consignment of Sunday. “We don’t disclose the shipment of military equipment or movement of our personnel because their safety can be endangered,” he said.

A former jet fighter pilot said it was unlikely the military would be able to maintain the combat aircrafts properly within its current budget allocation. He said it (the army) would not have bought the fuel guzzlers if it had no resources to maintain them.[email=tbutagira@ug.nationmedia.com

Entebbe — Witnesses of the Entebbe International airport plane crash-landing on Monday evening insist it was one of the new jet fighters acquired from Russia, despite the army denial.

The plane crash-landed on the runway during a test-flying exercise, causing stampede at Entebbe International Airport. In an attempt to explain the incident, the army and Civil Aviation Authority gave conflicting accounts.

The Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, Mr Ignie Igundura, said it was a military plane, but the army spokesman, Col. Felix Kulayigye said it was a private one.

The UPDF Air force spokesperson, Capt. Tabaro Kiconco, had earlier said it was the army training air craft that crash-landed because of "pilot's error". Col. Kulayigye said the plane suffered minor damage after it landed on its belly.

But Mr Isaac Mukasa, a boda boda cyclist at Kigungu, said he saw the new fighter jet land on its belly on the runway at Entebbe Airport and fire trucks rush to spray it with water.

"I was at Kigungu stage and heard a bang on the runway prompting us to run and see what was happening. I then saw the jet moving on its belly for some distance and it stopped," he said adding: "Two fire trucks then hurried to pour water on the plane before two crew members jumped out and later security operatives chased us away."Noise maker

Mr Hasjif Kabanda, a resident of Kigungu, said he heard a bang and later excited youth in Kigungu started shouting that the fighter jet, which they said used to make a lot of noise, had crashed. South African Airways and Kenya Airways were diverted to Nairobi while Quatar Airlines flight was delayed because the runway was blocked until 9:20pm when flights resumed.

Uganda recently bought six fighter jets and other military hardware worth $744 (1.8trillion) from Russia. The procurement attracted criticisms after Bank of Uganda Governor Tumusiime Mutebile said he was forced to drain national reserves to buy the jets.